From Want China Times

A weekend event in Taipei will highlight Latin American and Caribbean cultures, as part of an effort to promote cultural exchanges between Taiwan and the region, the organizers said Friday.

The Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Festival will kick off Saturday at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei, featuring music and dance performances by artists from Paraguay, Belize, Argentina, Mexico and Peru, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is organizing the event.

At the Spot Huashan cinema in the park, there will be free showings of 12 movies from countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, offering a glimpse into the diverse cultures there, said deputy foreign minister Simon Ko at a news conference.

The five performing groups staged live performances at Friday’s promotional event to give a preview of their upcoming shows.

The group from Peru said it wanted to introduce its country’s traditional dance to Taiwanese audiences.

Performing in Taiwan for the first time, the group gave traditional dance performances at several Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) events in Peru in 2008 when it served as APEC host country.

A Paraguayan group also gave a performance featuring a female dancer able to dance while supporting as many as six empty champagne bottles on the top of her head.

As part of the festival, 15 participating countries will display their specialty products, handicrafts, foods and other parts of their culture at several booths at Huashan 1914 Creative Park, the ministry said.

Following their appearance in Taipei, the cultural groups will perform at Chung Shan Hall in Taichung on Sept. 23, the ministry said.

Free screenings of the 12 movies will also be held at National Science and Technology Museum in Kaohsiung on Sept. 27 and 28, accompanied by a seminar to discuss Latin American culture through the films, the organizers said.

Ko invited the Taiwanese public to the festival’s activities to be held in northern, central and southern Taiwan and experience first-hand the rich and diverse cultures in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Holding the festival in September is significant, Ko said, because several countries in the region celebrate their national days this month.

St. Kitts and Nevis–one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Caribbean–for example, celebrated its Independence Day on Friday.

The participating countries also include the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, Brazil and Chile, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The festival is similar to the Asia-Pacific Culture Day that was held in Taipei earlier this month to promote cultural exchanges between Taiwan and countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 19 participating countries included Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Australia, New Zealand, Nauru, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands and the Philippines.

IMAGE: Participants at a press conference for the Latin American and Caribbean Cultural Festival, Sept. 19. (Photo/CNA)

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